It’s time to prune summer blooming plants! The roses, hydrangeas and clematis seem to top the list. I’d like to share a few tips:
Roses:
- Prune only in dry weather as many diseases are spread through rose foliage
- Prune above an outward facing bud for best new growth
- Thin out weak, contorted, crossing or dead canes
- Pruning hard is good and actually helps the plant rejuvenate!
Hydrangeas:
- White flowered hydrangeas bloom on new wood, so prune canes hard to a sturdy framework that will support new growth and lots of flowers
- White flowered oak leaf hydrangeas bloom on old wood, so preserve as many canes to the tips as possible
- Blue hydrangeas bloom on either old or new wood, depending on the variety, so see the attached list from Proven Winners, https://www.provenwinners.com/Hydrangea-Chart that lists all the newer varieties
Clematis:
- You’ll always be safe if you cut the old stems to the 36″ height above an outward facing bud
- Selectively remove old wood, broken stems and excess dried stalks
- Train clematis to its support early and often, then let it rip!
- Topdress with compost and scratch in a slow release organic fertilizer as a jump start
